The day has come to stock Oboe with provisions for the passage.  This has been long-anticipated and the subject of extensive planning, led tirelessly and meticulously by Iona, who has lots of little (and big) boxes waiting to be filled, sealed and buried in the bilges.  Imagine, three meals a day, snacks and the odd surprise treat for 6 people who might be at sea for 21 days.  That is nearly 200 meals.  A tiny sample of what this requires by way of ingredients is:

20kg potatoes

10kg of strong flour for bread making

4kg pasta

5kg rice

15ltrs long life milk (yuch!)

15ltrs juice

1000 tea bags

50 tins of meat, veg and fruit

15 jars of jams etc....

And of course beans, beans, beans ...

And loads of MARMITE!

Tonight Mike arrives and we will be complete.  Also tonight we have been invited for drinks by CRAZY MAYBE, owned by Kurt and Sophie from Belgium.  I first met Kurt on a radio course in Hamble several months ago and now here he is four boats down on the pontoon in his Dufour 525 – the big sister of little Oboe D’Amore. 

Pictures of the food before it was stored for your amusement.

Nigel